


To Forgive the Fallen

by Seattlempd



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 05:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seattlempd/pseuds/Seattlempd
Summary: After they left Lotor in the quintessence field, Allura thought she'd seen the last of the Galran Emperor. But when they are fighting Honerva on Oriande, he shows back up. And nobody is prepared for his return.





	To Forgive the Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! After taking nearly a month to recover from the ending of Voltron, I decided I could not rest until I wrote what I wanted the show to become. Lots of details are going to be changed and I am going to write the relationships I wanted to see form, so please bear with me. 
> 
> Lots of love & I hope this helps others out as well!  
> -SeattleMPD

The fight with Honerva and her robeasts was steadily draining the fighting energy out of the paladins. Allura could sense the team growing weary. They could not stop now, not when they were so close to ending this...the princess started to say something to her fellow paladins when a massive blast of energy shut down the lions. Allura remembered screaming, and the horrible churning in her stomach as she and her lion dropped from the sky like a meteor. Then, the lion made contact with the ground, her head smacked into the dashboard of Blue...and she was slammed into darkness.

\---

Allura recognized she was awake upon feeling the pounding ache on the right side of her head. Peeling her tongue from the roof of her mouth, the Altean woman took a moment to slowly lift her head from her lion's dashboard and survey her surroundings. Nothing but dry, dirty ground and Oriande in the near distance. She could not see Honerva or the robeasts from the ground. Allura could not see any of the lions, either.

"Paladins..?" Allura croaked.

Nobody responded. Growing more desperate, she tried again. "L-Lance? Keith? Pidge? Hunk, anyone please reply!"

Nothing but static silence. Feeling icy panic settling into her veins, Allura took a breath in through her nose and pushed herself out of her seat. Her entire body was on fire, aching from the violent crash. Taking a moment to wipe the stream of magenta blood away from her nose, Allura staggered towards the exit. She focused her increasing rage at Honerva; for causing such injuries to her friends and...Lance, the boy who was a friend and yet currently more...Allura would shatter the sky with her fury. The princess limped out of Blue's agape mouth. Checking to see if her jetpack still functioned, she clumsily flew the last several feet onto the smooth, stone surface of Oriande and began limping towards Honerva. Someone had to put a stop to what the Altean woman was doing. With her limited knowledge of alchemy, Allura knew she hardly stood a chance against the ancient being...but she had to try. Cresting a sloped incline, Allura wielded her bayard.

She was not prepared for what she saw. 

Nobody could have been prepared as Emperor Lotor's ship - similar in build to Voltron itself - appeared next to Honerva's own. As the half-Galran man was extracted from his ship, miraculously still intact and alive, albeit unconscious.

Lotor. After all this time left in the quintessence field...

Numbly, Allura took a step back and tried to contact Shiro. "Atlas, this is Allura. We need help down here as soon as possible."

"Copy that, Princess. We're on our way!" Shiro's immediate and tense response sounded out in the clearing.

Honerva whipped her gaze to the princess, eyes narrowing. Realizing her mistake, Allura tried to turn and run. Honerva, however, already had her iron-tight grip on the princess's arm. "The wayward daughter of Alfor finally appears. If you joined me, joined the right side of this war, we could bring back Altea as it was. We could bring back Alfor and the juniberry flowers."

Allura felt her eyelids growing heavy as she gazed into Honerva's glowing eyes. Not good, she was giving in to the witch's claims. She had to...fight...back...

Suddenly, a long blade sliced the air between the two Altean women. Allura stumbled backwards, shocked out of the trance she had been put in. And the man who stood between them...

Allura felt the ground fall out from beneath her feet as Lotor stood, wielding his sword and panting heavily.

Turning to her, Lotor took Allura's hand and began tugging her towards the blue lion. "Hurry! We don't have long until Haggar recovers!"

They made it halfway to the mechanical wonder when Lotor and Allura were smashed into the ground by Honerva. The Galran emperor was lying stomach-down on the ground, dark purple oozing from fresh wounds on his forehead and split lip. Yet Lotor still reached for Allura, his hand outstretched towards her. The princess felt her heart break as he slowly lost consciousness, as that hand reaching for her collapsed into the dirt. This was when the Altean princess decided she'd had enough for one day.

Shifting into a taller, Galran build of herself, Allura barely had time to lunge out of the way as Honerva attacked. The princess launched herself to Lotor, hauling him off the ground and carrying him over her shoulder. They were so close to Blue. Only another few dobashes of running -

The Altean woman and Lotor were slammed into the ground once more, this time held there by unbelievably heavy feet. Honerva was standing on top of the two of them while in her ship. Allura felt the air being crushed from her lungs. Gasping for air futilely, the princess clawed at the dirt around her, trying to gain purchase somewhere. No relief could be found, no escape was in sight. This was where Allura would die, compressed into the dirt. Stars began to blind her and darkness creeped into the edges of her vision.

Then, the weight disappeared. 

Wasting no time on hesitation, Allura pushed herself back onto her feet. She retrieved the Galran emperor and sprinted the last few feet to her lion. Once aboard, the princess set Lotor on the floor and resumed control at her seat. Blue came online immediately, roaring and taking to the skies.

The other lions had already awoken and were assisting the Atlas as it fought back Honerva and her robeasts.

"Allura! Are you alright?!" Lance's voice shouted through her intercom.

"I'm fine. Let's get out of here, now! Coran, can you get us and yourselves a safe distance away from Honerva?"

The older Altean sounded shrill as he yelled back, "Working on it! Sending you all coordinates for the worm hole!"

Allura punched her lion into maximum speed, cruising past the horrific battle and into space. Spotting the portal, she launched her lion through it. The princess did not recognize much on the other side, although she did notice a distant blue planet and its moon. The other lions and the Atlas came through the worm hole moments later. 

After ensuring that the portal closed safely behind them, Allura asked urgently, "Where are we? Can we land somewhere safely? I have Lotor and I believe he needs medical attention."

"You have WHO- "

Lance's outburst was quickly cut off by Shiro, who replied, "We're close to Earth, princess. While I share Lance's bewilderment by your actions, I suggest we all convene once we're safely landed on our home planet."

"We left saying we would return victorious. How will we explain our sudden homecoming visit?" Pidge inquired.

Shiro sighed. "It looks bad, but I believe this pitstop is a necessary one. Let's head to Earth."

Watching the Atlas and the other lions drift towards the paladins' home planet, Allura punched Blue towards Earth. "Hang on, Lotor..."

\---

The rest of the day was a blur of moments. Allura remembered barely taking enough time to land smoothly before hauling Lotor's body off her ship and towards the only base on Earth still standing from the war with the Galra. She recalled pushing past the green paladin's mother, desperately heaving the Galran emperor through the tall, thick, metal doors of the building. Next, Lotor was taken from her grasp. Allura kept pace with the stretcher that he was placed on as it was rolled quickly through hallway after hallway. Now, the princess remained standing where she had been for the better part of the day; staring at his chest rise and fall as he rested in a Earthling and Altean hybrid healing pod.

Allura was so engulfed in observing Lotor that she did not notice Lance approaching until he was calling her name. 

Turning, she asked, "Oh, I apologise. What is it, Lance?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay." The blue paladin ran a hand through his short, brown hair with a sigh. "I was worried since you disappeared so suddenly."

Allura had not thought to contact him. Wincing, she murmured, "I am sorry for my behavior. I suppose I'm just..." Glancing at Lotor again, she took a deep breath. "I'm concerned that he has returned. Injured or not, I think someone should keep an eye on him."

Lance's gaze sunk to the floor. "I...Are we going to be okay? Now that he's back, I mean. Since you and him shared a bond not too long ago, I- "

Pressing a finger to his lips, Allura gave Lance a small smile. "Relax. Lotor being here doesn't change a thing."

Just saying the words turned the princess's stomach. Truthfully, Allura did not know if she was in love with Lance. Ever since dinner with his family and the kiss they shared, she had been considered his 'girlfriend,' the term humans used for female romantic partners. Despite the warmth she saw in his eyes whenever he looked at her...Allura could not say for sure if she felt the same way. But the Altean princess had no idea what a real relationship felt like; the only experience she had in dating was a few dates with another Altean girl from over 10,000 years ago and her failed attempt at a relationship with the emperor now lying on his death bed in front of her. 

"Somehow, I'm not feeling entirely convinced." Lance's voice snapped Allura back to the present.

The princess offered another weak smile. "I think I need some food after such a long day. Will you accompany me to the dining hall?"

"Of course!" Lance's vivid blue eyes lit up.

As she took his extended hand, Allura felt her stomach sinking further into a dark pit. She felt like her actions were...wrong, somehow. Like her indecisive feelings should halt her advances. Trying to shake the sour mood, Allura allowed herself to run on autopilot as she and Lance reached the dining room. Filling her platter with a plate of assorted green vegetables and another plate with a slab of sizzling, dark brown meat, the princess managed to snatch a paper cup filled with juice before seating herself across from Lance. 

He dug in hastily, moaning in delight as he chewed his first bite of meat. "Allura, you have to try this steak. It's amazing!"

"What is steak?" She asked while grinning. "Some type of delicacy, from the looks of it."

Lance did not hesitate to answer. "It's the cooked meat of cows. Super tender when done right."

"Cows?" Allura raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," the blue paladin clarified through a swig of juice, "animals like Kaltenecker." 

The Altean princess had been raising a bite of the so-called 'steak' to her mouth as Lance was answering her questions. Horrified, she set her fork back down and used her knife to remove the skewered piece of meat from it. 

Upon seeing Allura's grimace, Lance panicked and added on, "Cows are farm animals! They're usually used for milk and meat. I'm sorry I didn't explain that well...this isn't Kaltenecker, I promise."

Allura was not entirely comforted. Eating a few bites of the vegetables instead, she asked, "So, we wouldn't eat Kaltenecker, right?"

"No! I wouldn't dream of it."

The princess sighed deeply. "There's so much I do not understand about this planet. I hope someday I will know more..."

"You will! I swear I will do my best to answer all of your questions, Allura."

Smiling, the princess tried to abandon her doubts at that. She was about to begin a new topic of conversation when Coran came running up to their table.

"Allura, you must come quickly! Lotor is awakening!"

Apologizing to Lance, the Altean woman ran as fast as she could for the healing ward. The hallways felt so much longer than they had before. Allura found herself frightened that when she got to his window, Lotor would be gone. That she would never be given the chance to speak with him again. The princess was convinced it would be the worst experience in the world.

She was so utterly wrong.

Seated with his back hunched on a cot was Lotor, the Galran Emperor. But what once was a man nothing short of elegance was now decayed. His regality had been swapped for rage, the quiet kind that ate at people from the inside out. Lotor's white hair was in disarray, strands of it tangled in front of his face and the ends charred and split. All armor had been removed, leaving the emperor in his dark, skin tight bodysuit. His purple skin was dirty and bruised in many places, burned on his forearms and hands. One of his ears was missing a triangle shaped sliver from it, though the wound itself looked cauterized. Dark bags circled beneath his eyes.

The same ice-chip blue eyes that were piercing daggers into Allura's skull. Upon hearing the growl that Lotor emitted as she came closer to the window, Allura suddenly wished she had not accompanied Coran. She wished that instead of the pure hatred Lotor was expressing for her right now, he had chosen to ignore her entirely. 

"Alright, let's try to be civil." Coran grumbled. "Why is Honerva- "

"Haggar." Lotor's voice was hoarse.

The red-headed man frowned at the interruption. "Why is Haggar using wormholes to collect quintessence? Why would she want to tear apart this reality?"

The emperor rested his chin on one of his hands. "Why does anyone collect quintessence? She's attempting to power her ship enough to do whatever she wants. Hell if I know what she wants, though."

"How are you alive?" Allura asked hesitantly. 

No response. Not even a glance in her direction. It seemed that Lotor was, in fact, choosing to ignore her presence now. 

Allura was finding herself taking back her previous wish. It was infuriating beyond belief. She also discovered that her own temper was rising rapidly as the Altean princess recalled what Lotor did to her people.

With boiling blood, she hissed out, "I don't care that you're here, or that you're alive. If you want to rot in here, then so be it."

That got his attention. His gaze locking back onto Allura's, Lotor snapped back, "Oh, wouldn't that please you, your Highness? I had thought leaving me to melt in the quintessence field was good enough for you. I'm sorry I was mistaken."

"You PRICK!" Allura slammed her hands against the window so fiercely that Lotor flinched. "You do not have the RIGHT to be mad with me when you lied to my face about SLAUGHTERING. MY. PEOPLE!"

Each word landed like a physical blow. Breathing heavily, Allura stepped back from the glass pane between them. The half Galran man dared not speak now, seeming to understand the necessity of his silence. 

When the tension in the air began to settle, Lotor murmured, "It was not me."

"What."

"I did not conceive the idea of putting Altean people into a prettily disguised farm pen, nor did I think of harvesting their energy from their bodies. You have Haggar to thank for that. I simply posed as their icon, their reason for staying. Not a day goes by that I don't regret my involvement, my apathy towards the Alteans we killed."

Allura felt her rage bubbling slightly quieter. "You were still there. You could have tried to save them, and you didn't."

"I tried in the beginning, to sneak some Alteans off the planet." Lotor huffed out a shaky breath. "When Zarkon and Haggar caught wind of their assisted escape, they had me thrown in the fighting pits for weeks without a break and hunted down the escapees. By the time I recovered from my broken bones, they had already done too much mental and physical damage to those people. They refused to leave with me no matter how much I begged. I attempted forcing one Altean girl to leave, by carrying her onto my ship."

"Did she survive?" Coran inquired with horror.

Lotor's eyes shuttered as he replied, "No. My mother and father had expected me to intervene again, and when they caught us...I couldn't protect her. They locked me up in the room and made me watch as Haggar changed the girl into one of her horrible experiments. No matter what I did, the Alteans always died. Eventually I stopped trying, convinced that the quicker death they were receiving from being drained was...merciful, in comparison to what I brought upon the few I tried to save. With how little I fought, Haggar easily put me in trances for the speeches I gave those poor people."

Allura crossed her arms to hide a shiver. "Why should we believe what you're saying? Last time you had no trouble lying to my face."

"Could you honestly say that if I told you I was involved in the slaughter of so many of your people, you would have listened to me? I did not dare mention my past to you because I knew the trouble it would cause." Lotor paused, his brows furrowed. "Look where we are. I'm back in a prison cell, being interrogated and doubted, and yet this is far better than anything Haggar would have done with me."

"You didn't answer my question." Allura growled.

"Why would I lie now? What could I possibly gain from not telling the truth? Let's face it, Princess, we both know I'm beyond plans and scheming. I quite literally just woke up, minutes ago, from near-death. At your hands, I might add."

Ignoring the lash of anger that burned a path up her throat, Allura asked harshly, "How did Honer- Haggar put me into that trance? I've never felt anything so strong before."

"The witch was always good at manipulation. Perhaps she was using Altean alchemy to amplify the effect of her words." Lotor shrugged. "Who cares. No matter what she does, Haggar cannot bring Altea back. Nor Daibazaal, for that matter. Her promises are always empty."

Allura turned away from the man. So many emotions raged inside her head that it was beginning to create a nasty migraine. With a shaky breath, she muttered, "I'll be back to talk to you later. Coran will help me watch you. Please try to behave while I'm gone."

"Not like I have much of a choice." Lotor grumbled.


End file.
